Window construction involving light-polarizing means



SEARCH RUIN March 22, 1949. A. WERTH 2,464,954

' WINDOW CONSTRUCTION INVOLVING LIGHT-PQLARIZING MEANS Filed July 27, 1945 :s Sheets-Sheet 2 i a x 1 E s2, I I Q/SO INVENTOR. LAWRENCE AWERTH ATTO R N EY r a L! SCARLF RM March 22, 1949. L. A. WERTH 2,464,954

WINDOW CONSTRUCTION INVOLVING LIGHT-POLARIZING MEANS Filed July 27, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 R. 3. w m m W M m x F m R W L W F a I n Z//////// 1i- Y L N 3 x N {w J, m m 2 III \II 2 er p. m L m m F F ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT SEARCH ROOM OFFICE WINDOW CONSTRUCTION INVOLVING LIGHT-POLARIZING MEANS 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to windows for buildings and more specifically to the glazing for such windows.

It has heretofore been proposed to glaze windows with spaced glass panes sealed to each other. The present invention relates to such double glazed windows and has among its objects the utilization of the space between the panes to enclose light modifying means.

Another object is light modifying means capable of adjustment to permit passage of any portion of light from substantially none to one hundred per cent.

Still other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a portion of a window including the invention.

Figure 1A is a similar view of another portion showing a slight modification.

Figure 2 is a partial vertical section of such a window in a plane normal to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section taken in the vertical plane of line 4-4 of Figure 3 but at the lower corner of the glazing.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4 showing one operating means.

Figure 6 is an end view of a portion of the blade assembly.

Figure 7 is a sectional view of another operating means.

Figures 8 and 9 are sectional views of still another operating means.

Figure 10 is a detail of the latter.

Figures 11 and 12 are diagrammatic fragmentary views showing respectively the crossing and the parallelism of the planes of polarization of the panes and strips in two extreme positions of the latter.

In the drawings, the window frame may be conventional except for such modification as may be necessary to accommodate the glazing and mechanism about to be described.

The glazing and its appurtenances, as shown in detail in Figures 2 to 10, includes a double pane structure indicated at 2|, the two panes being spaced a short distance and sealed at their edges except where it is necessary for the parts described below to enter for cooperation with those parts permanently located in the interpane space 2|A. Located in this space 2 A is a glass strip assembly made up of glass strips 22 of a width slightly less than the width of the space and arranged in par- 2 allel relation to form a structure similar to the so-called Venetian blind.

The strips 22 are provided at their ends with ferrules 23, each carrying two pins 24 projecting longitudinally and into suitable bearings in vertically and oppositely arranged connecting strips 25, enclosed in housings 26 at the sides of the double pane 2|. There will of course be a housing 28 and a pair of strips 25 at each side of the panel 2|.

At the bottom of the panel 2|, the housing 26 is continued across the panel and encloses a shaft 30 which at each end carries a head 3| also having projecting pins 24 extending into bearings in the strips 25. This shaft 30, in the form of the device shown in Figures 1 and 3 to 6, is mounted in suitable bearings 32 and is provided intermediate its ends with a bevel gear 33 fixed thereto and adapted to mesh with a second bevel gear 34 carried on the inner end of a short shaft 35 extending through suitable packing 36 to the outside of housing 26 and rotatable by means of a crank 31.

Insofar as the glass strips 22, their supporting strips 25 and the shaft 30 are concerned, these are shown in the several figures as identical. Other means of rotating the strips 22 are however shown in Figures 7 to 10.

In Figure 7, for example, instead of a crank actuator, a sliding knob actuator is shown. In this form, a small housing is shown as fixed to one of the vertical housings 2B and open thereto.

In the housing 50, which for convenience may be cylindrical, are two vertical passageways 5| connected at top and bottom through cross passages 5|A, and in these passages are slidably mounted a pair of piston members 52 and 52A having at their ends packing members 53 formed of some suitable liquid-resistant electric packing material, and through the action of a suitable liquid filling material in the passages 5| adapted to act together when either one of the pistons is moved. The piston 52 carries a pair of projecting lugs 54 extending into the communication between the housings and on either side of a corresponding lug 55 formed on one of the strips 25. On the opposite side of the housing 50 the piston 52A is exposed through a suitable cutout 55 and has fixed thereto the shank of a suitable operating knob 51. Of course when the knob 51 is moved up or down with the piston 52A through the action of the liquid in passageway 5|, the other piston 52 will be moved in the opposite direction.

Means for filling the passageways 5| is shown in the small bore extending to the lower passage 5|A and closed at its upper end by a suitable screw plug 6|. Access to the plug 6| may be had by removing the upper cap 50A and the housing 50 or through a suitable plug closed opening indicated at 62. In order to make the latter practicable, it should be larger than the plug 6|, and the plug 6| should be backed up by a suitable spring 63.

In Figures 8 to 10, another form of actuating means is shown. In this form, one of the vertical strips 25 is shown as provided with a short rack 10 meshing with a small gear 1| carried on the shaft 12 which extends from the housing 26 and is rotatable by means of the knob 13.

It will be noted from Figures 3 to 6 that the glass strips 22 are rotatable through substantially 180, and it is important that this amount of rotation be provided for.

So far the description has been confined to the purely mechanical portion of the invention,

-and nothing has been said about the light modifying characteristics nor how this is obtained.

In order to obtain the light modifying characteristic, the inner face of one of the glass panes making up the double panel 2| is coated with light polarizing material 2|B, and this material so arranged on the pane that the polarizing axis of the coating material extends diagonally at approximately 45 from the vertical as indicated at 2|C. Further, each of the glass strips 22 s coated on one side with a similar material 22B and all of the glass strips should have their polarizing axes parallel and all light rays extending diagonally at substantially 45 as indicated at 22C.

With this arrangement of the polarizing material on the pane 2| and on the glass strips 22, when the latter are substantially vertical, and in parallel relation with the pane 2 I, the polarizing axes of the strips and those of the pane 2| will be either parallel or at 90 to each other. In other words, as in Figure 6, the axes are parallel, a maximum amount of light will be transmitted through the strips and through the pane. On the other hand, if the strips are moved to their other limit, the polarizing axes will be substantially at 90 from each other and the minimum amount of light will be transmitted.

In'providing the strips 22 and the panes 2| with polarizing material, various methods may be used, for example, a thin sheet of cellulosic material in which there are dispersed colloidal particles oriented with their polarizing axes in substantial parallelism, may be cemented to the glass or such sheet may be cemented between glass plates. Methods of making such sheet are described in United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,011,553, issued August 13, 1935; 1,989,371, issued January 29, 1935; and 1,918,848, issued July 18, 1933, all to E. H. Land; or in other ways, as for example, as described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,104,949, issued January 11, 1938, to A. M. Marks.

Now having described the invention and the preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that said invention is to be limited, not to the specific details herein set forth, but only by the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. A window comprising a glass panel including light polarizing material with the polarizing axis at an angle of substantially 45 to the vertical, a plurality of parallel light polarizing transparent strips adjacent thereto and means for rotating said strips about their longitudinal axes through an angle of substantially the axis of polarization of said strips in one extreme position being parallel to the first mentioned polarizing axis and in the other extreme position at right angles thereto.

2. A window comprising a glass panel including light polarizing material with the polarizing axis at an angle of substantially 45 to the vertical, housing-s at the vertical edges of said panel, a plurality of transparent horizontally arranged light polarizing strips adjacent said panel, a pair of vertically movable elements in each of said housings and supporting said strips, means connecting said strips and elements constructed and arranged to partially rotate said strips about their longitudinal axes when members of a pair of elements are alternately moved vertically up or down, means constraining the pairs of movable elements to move simultaneously and in like direction, and operating means extending to the outside of said housings whereby to permit manual operation of said elements, the axis of polarization of said strips in one extreme position being parallel to the first mentioned polarizing axis and in the other extreme position at right angles thereto.

LAWRENCE A. WERTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,230,262 Pollack Feb. 4, 1941 2,281,071 Knudsen Apr. 28, 1941 2,311,840 Land Feb. 23, 1943 2,313,349 Land Mar. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS N um her Country Date 482,331 Great Britain Mar. 28, 1938 

